ReadyBoost enables NAND memory mass storage devices, including CompactFlash, SD cards, and USB flash drives, to be used as a write cache between a hard drive and random access memory in an effort to increase computing performance. Physical disks cannot be used for this purpose, sorry.

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You could use a hard drive, but you wouldn't want to. The reason Microsoft spoke about using a flash drive is because it uses flash memory. ReadyBoost was a neat original Windows 7 feature, but not something that you should be using a 2TB hard drive for.

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ReadyBoost is a special disk cache service in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 that uses fast removable devices, such as USB flash drives, Secure Digital and CompactFlash memory cards for speeding up smaller random disk reads. This can significantly improve Windows performance while many random small files are read frequently or when computer does not have sufficient amount of RAM (Random Access Memory). Traditional hard disk drives and hybrid hard drives (not SSD-s) are up to 80 times slower than removable devices in reading random small files. That's why you cannot use external hard drives for ReadyBoost - no real performance gain is possible.

Jack

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I can't put my finger on it, my rig just doesn't seem as responsive as it used to. I know the simple solutions are get an SSD or fresh install and go from there but if there was some OTHER solution I would give that a try first.

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ReadyBoost is a form of cache. A fundamental principle of any kind of cache is that it must be faster than the media being cached. A conventional drive, no matter how large, does not meet this requirement. A flash drive usually has slower transfer rate but has a much better seek time and thus it does qualify.

However, with 32 GB RAM you have more than plenty of RAM for caching purposes and ReadyBoost would impair performance if it were used. ReadyBoost is primarily useful with limited RAM, 2 GB or less.

Having 32 GB RAM in a system without an SSD is a waste. An SSD will do more for performance than anything else you could do. In most cases 8 GB RAM with an SSD would perform better.

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hello all,
I have a question for the masses regarding Paging files vs readyboost. The situation I find myself in is that I have just purchased a Intel Compute Stick with the M5 prococessor, 4GB ram, and 64(usable 57) Gb storage. I am currently...

I used ReadyBoost in the past and eBoostr an alternative to ReadyBoost for many years.
What I want to find out is if you have 2 SSD's and 12GB ram do you need to use ReadyBoost or eBoostr in Windows 10 ?
Thank you for all info given.

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